UFC middleweight Brian Stann retires from MMA to focus on broadcasting, family

UFC middleweight Brian Stann, a former WEC light heavyweight champion, has announced his retirement from the sport.

Stann (12-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) exits the sport after a “Fight of the Night” loss to Wanderlei Silva in March in what will be his final fight. Stann confirmed his retirement to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com); he made his official announcement on “The MMA Hour.”

Stann will now focus his career on broadcasting and his family. On Wednesday, FOX Sports announced the Atlanta-area resident is part of the new Atlantic Coast Conference football crew for FOX Sports South. Since the UFC’s broadcast deal with FOX began in 2012, Stann has been active as an analyst for both FOX and FUEL TV’s pre- and post-fight UFC event coverage.

“Yesterday, news broke that I’m going to be branching out and doing some college football,” Stann said on the show. “But a couple months ago, I had made the decision and just wasn’t sure when I would announce it, that I was no longer going to continue fighting. So I wanted to use this opportunity to say thank you. The relationships and experiences I’ve gotten from fans and fellow fighters have honestly made me a much better person. I leave fighting having taken more from fighting I have ever gave.”

Stann said a desire to devote more time to his family helped him come to the decision.

“There’s a lot of reasons that have caused me to retire from the sport,” he told Helwani. “But really for me, it’s the best thing for me, and more importantly for my family right now. I’m still going to be involved as much as the UFC will allow me to be in the UFC, and continuing to be an ambassador for the sport. But as far as competing anymore, as sad as it makes me, it’s not the best thing for me as a husband and a father – which by far is the most important thing to me. I sacrificed more than I gained, and it’s time for me to focus on my family.”

Stann, who attended the Naval Academy and played linebacker on the football team, started his pro MMA career in 2006. As a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, his tours of duty included time in Iraq, where his service during “Operation Matador” earned him the nation’s third-highest military honor – the Silver Star.

During time away from the Marines, Stann trained and fought. His second pro fight was for the WEC prior to that promotion’s purchase by Zuffa, owners of the UFC. Stann started his career 6-0 with six first-round knockouts. At WEC 33 in March 2008, he won the promotion’s light heavyweight title against Doug Marshall.

But at WEC 35, not long after leaving active duty in the Marine Corps, Stann lost the belt in his first defense to Steve Cantwell – a loss he would avenge in his second UFC fight a little more than a year later.

Stann debuted with the UFC at UFC 97 in Montreal, but was submitted by Krzysztof Soszynski in the first round. He rebounded with decision wins over Cantwell and Rodney Wallace in 2009 before a loss to Phil Davis at UFC 109, all at light heavyweight.

But then “All American” went on a nice little tear after dropping to 185 pounds. He submitted Mike Massenzio for a “Fight of the Night” bonus, knocked out Chris Leben at UFC 125 , then stopped Jorge Santiago in the second round at UFC 130 for another “Fight of the Night” bonus.

That three-fight streak of stoppages earned him a crack at Chael Sonnen in Sonnen’s first fight back after a suspension for elevated testosterone levels. A win there would have cemented him in the UFC’s middleweight title picture. But Sonnen submitted him in the second round at UFC 136 in Houston, then went on to a win over Michael Bisping that led to another shot at Anderson Silva‘s title.

After a knockout win over Alessio Sakara in Sweden in April 2012, Stann lost a decision to Michael Bisping at UFC 152 in Toronto this past September. And in March, Wanderlei Silva knocked him out in the main event of the UFC’s return to Japan on FUEL TV, giving Stann three losses in his final four fights.

Now Stann turns his attention to the broadcast booth and analyst’s chair, where his UFC work already for FUEL TV and FOX has been lauded.

Along with his military service and pro MMA career of more than seven years, Stann is married with two daughters with a third daughter on the way. He also is the author of a book, “Heart for the Fight: A Marine Hero’s Journey from the Battlefields of Iraq to Mixed Martial Arts Champion,” his memoir of his service in the Marine Corps and first few years as a fighter, and his Hire Heroes charity helps military veterans find employment after returning from service.

From Our Partners

The Latest

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.